‟Books transmit values. They explore our common humanity. What is the message when some children are not represented in those books?”
       —WALTER DEAN MYERS

Where Are the People of Color in Children's Books? 
New York Times, March 15, 2014

#KWELI23
PROGRAM SCHEDULE

REGISTER NOW

Pre-Conference Event
Sunday, February 26, 2023

1:00pm - 3pm

Platanos Go With Everything Multi-media event with Lissette Norman
Ballet Hispanico

Friday, March 31, 2023

9:00am - 12pm

A. Graphic Novel
The Graphic Novel with JOHNNIE CHRISTMAS, author of Swim Team

Long time Graphic Novelist, author of SWIM TEAM and Coretta Scott King Honor Illustrator shows you the fundamentals of making a graphic novel. From initial ideas, character design and development, to scriptwriting, thumbnailing and finished art. You’ll learn the many choices that go into making a fully realized graphic novel. Participants will get to try out what they’ve learned by making a comic page!

B. Middle Grade Novel
Weaving Magic into your MG Novel with Revision: Masterclass with DONNA BARBA HIGUERA, author of The Last Cuentista and Lupe Wong Won’t Dance

You wrote a first draft…maybe even a second, or third. How do you turn a draft manuscript into one of those treasured books on the shelf of a local bookstore?

Well, the real magic happens in revision. In this master class we will work on revising your novel so magic is actually woven into your manuscript from the very first page to the last. From a strong beginning and infusing the character’s voice in each sentence, to pacing and story structure, let’s put fresh revision eyes on your next book, so it becomes the kind of book that will give readers goosebumps. Whether you’re working on a completed work, or those first few chapters, we will use practical tips, revision tools, and exercises you can store in your writer’s arsenal for both current and future projects.

C. Young Adult Novel
Revising the Young Adult Novel: Masterclass with MALINDA LO, author of Last Night at the Telegraph Club and A Scatter of Light

In this master class, writers will learn how to revise a novel-length work. This class includes nuts-and-bolts tips for how to approach and manage revising a novel, as well as exercises that will help writers focus their vision for their novel, and examples of how to develop authority on a sentence level through multiple drafts. Although it's not necessary for writers to have completed a novel-length draft, it will be useful if they have a novel-length work in progress to consider during the class.

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1:30pm - 4:30pm

D. Picture Books (NOTE: CLASS IS AT CAPACITY)
Writing and Illustrating Picture Books: Masterclass with MICHAELA GOADE, illustrator of Remember by Joy Harjo and We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, and author/illustrator of Berry Song

Picture books may seem simple to some readers, but powerful picture books know how to speak to all ages and make a lasting impression. In this class, we'll explore the craft of writing and illustrating for children by discussing the interplay of text and art, the importance of respecting a child's inner world, the revision process, and how to lean into your own experiences for emotionally resonant and compelling storytelling. This class is suited for picture book lovers of every career stage. Whether aspiring or published, you'll learn ways to help your work sing.

E. Nonfiction
Nonfiction: Master Class with MARILYN NELSON, author of Augusta Savage: the Shape of a Sculptor’s Life

Join Marilyn Nelson for a generative master class exploring the definitions and sizes of courage we have witnessed and studied. We shall use role-playing to explore narratives of courageous character development, and use varied methods for extracting courageous stories from the everyday. Nelson will share brief readings of some of her poems celebrating the true courage of real people at historical turning-points, and comment on differences between writing courage as historical nonfiction, and writing courage from the imagination. At what point can, or do, or may these approaches coincide? The day will include breaks for note-taking.

7:00pm - 8:30pm

Multi-media Event
Featuring: Michaela Goade, Emeline Lee and Aida Salazar
Ballet Hispanico

Saturday, April 1, 2023

In-Person Only

8:30am - 8:45am

WELCOME by Laura Pegram

Adaptation of The Courage of the Little Hummingbird: Live music and dance

8:45am - 9:15am

KEYNOTE by Leah Henderson

9:30am - 10:30am

A.  Publishing, Community, & Culture Track
Afrofuturist Practice: Inviting the Past into the Present
Eve Ewing once stated that “[f]or me, my Afrofuturist practice is inextricable from thinking about the past. I only, in a sense, know how to talk about a future through the lens of talking about history. And so therefore a lot of my work kind of pokes a stick at the boundary between the past, the present and the future and invites the past into the present in what I hope are creative and interesting and provocative ways.” In this session, authors will discuss the interesting and provocative ways they have invited the past into the present in their new and forthcoming work.
Featuring: Jaha Nailah Avery & Ibi Zoboi; moderated by Autumn Allen

B. Novels / Memoir Track (YA & MG)
ON CRAFT
You Crack Me Up: Working in the Humor for Middle Grade & YA
Humor in children’s literature is all about character, setting and timing. How a character reacts to a particular situation can be hysterical…or tragic. Sometimes jokes have a setup on page one, but the punchline comes several pages later. In this session, authors discuss giving characters a worldview and location that can’t help but lead to laughs. Panelists will share tips for writing humor that attendees can use in their own work. During the session, authors will share brief passages that show character, setting and timing coming together in a funny way.
Featuring: Donna Barba Higuera, Patricia Park and J.E. Thomas; moderated by Arely Guzman

C. Illustrated Books/Nonfiction Track
ON CRAFT
Passing it Down
The sharing of family traditions and oral histories is commonplace among marginalized people. In this session, panelists continue the practice, this time passing down specific craft techniques and the wisdom they gleaned from creating their first illustrated book.
Featuring: Hannah Moushabeck and Gwendolyn Wallace; moderated by Cozbi A. Cabrera

10:45am - 11:45am

A.  Publishing, Community, & Culture Track
Creating A Sustainable Writing Practice with Wellness at the Center
At Kweli, we want writers and illustrators to succeed “with wellness, and sustainable and sound business practices at the forefront.” Examples include our long time partnership with Monique Greenwood at Akwaaba Inns—wellness space and home of Kweli's writing and illustration retreats—and our wide embrace of The Seven Circles, Indigenous Teachings for Living Well by Chelsey Luger and Those Collins. Panelists Luger and Young will discuss “subtle shifts, like eschewing the word fitness in favor of movement, re-centering nature in all that we do and more.”
Featuring: Chelsey Luger and Brian Young in conversation

B. Novels / Memoir Track (YA & MG)
ON CRAFT
MG & YA| The Plot Thickens
Whether you are a pantser or a plotter, you still need to advance your story through a series of events that challenge your characters and demonstrate growth. In this session, panelists discuss how they developed a compelling plot, step by step, and how they decided which parts of their plot to save, change or eliminate altogether during the revision process.
Featuring: Lorraine Avila, Angeline Boulley and Brianna Peppins; moderated by Alvina Ling

C. Illustrated Books/Nonfiction Track
ON CRAFT
Picturing Family History
Our family backstories often seep into our creative work unconsciously, but what if you choose to draw from your life story overtly using family archival photographs and interviews. In this session, panelists discuss how they specifically crafted two very personal stories and, in doing so, shed light on overlooked parts of history.
Featuring: Emeline Lee and Aida Salazar; moderated by Wendi Gu

12:15pm - 12:45pm

LUNCH KEYNOTE CONVERSATION with Andrea L. Rogers and Irene Vázquez

1:00pm - 2:00pm

A.  Publishing, Community, & Culture Track
Take Scraps and Make Up the Rest
“I like to make up stuff,” said Toni Morrison. “I take scraps, the landscapes of something that happened, and make up the rest.” If your narrative references or builds on an historical event, how do you then take those “scraps,” and use them to imagine complicated fictional character(s) and then set them in a world both beautiful and blemished? 
Featuring: Edwidge Danticat and Ibi Zoboi; moderated by Autumn Allen

B. Novels / Memoir Track (YA & MG)
ON CRAFT
Revolutionary Rom-Coms | YA Romance|
Meet cutes. Enemies or friends-to-lovers. Fake dating. A main character’s impossible choice between two (or more!) love interests. Rom-com tropes abound. But what makes a YA romantic comedy stand out these days? In this panel, authors share how they infused ethnicity, culture, and identity in their characters’ worldview and discuss whether they faced unique challenges navigating the path from securing an agent to finding a publisher.
Featuring: Camryn Garrett and Amalie Howard; moderated by Bria Ragin

C. Illustrated Books/Nonfiction Track
ON CRAFT
Write Like a Painter
“I remember telling the artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith once that she paints like a writer and I write like a painter,” said U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. The authors in this session will talk about painting words. We'll look at the significant details they added to their carefully crafted picture books, each one providing the reader with a beautiful constellation of people, objects and animals.”
Featuring: Aya Khalil, Reem Kassis and Traci N. Todd; moderated by Hannah Moushabeck

2:15pm - 3:15pm

A.  Publishing, Community, & Culture Track
Partnering with Your Publisher for Your Book Launch
It’s the worst-kept secret in the world: almost every author dreams of writing a book that sells far more copies than anyone expected. But how should authors partner with publishers striving to make a splash for all of their books, and how can publishers work effectively with authors who have big, big goals when there is a budget to consider? In this session, publishing pros share advice on what works well, what can work better in the author-publisher relationship and what the author can do independently as they think outside of the box or get rid of the box entirely.
Featuring: Antonio Gonzalez Cerna and Hannah Moushabeck; moderated by Sheetal Sheth

B. Novels / Memoir Track (YA & MG)
ON CRAFT
Using excerpts from the forthcoming novel-in-verse Bright Red Fruit and the recently released When We Were Sisters as a springboard, the panelists will lead a discussion on craft.
Featuring: Safia Elhillo & Fatimah Asghar

C. Illustrated Books/Nonfiction Track
ON CRAFT
Writing Pen & Paintbrush: Tips from Author/Illustrators
Featuring: Cozbi A. Cabrera, Johnnie Christmas and Lynnor Bontigao; moderated by Michaela Goade

3:30pm - 4:00pm

KEYNOTE CONVERSATION with Andrea L. Rogers and Irene Vázquez

4:15pm - 5:15pm

CLOSING KEYNOTE with Malinda Lo

Sunday, April 2, 2023
Virtual Only

9:30am - 10:30am

A.  Publishing, Community, & Culture Track
Business of Publishing
This session will cover, in part, the major terms of a publishing offer and contract. It will it be a lecture (with PowerPoint) followed by an opportunity for people to ask questions.
Featuring: Cheryl Klein

B. Craft Track (YA & MG)
Voice and Audience: First Pages
Attention has never been more fleeting. Often authors only have a single page—or a single paragraph—to capture readers' attention. This is true for both fiction and nonfiction. In this session, panelists will discuss the importance of creating a strong voice to immerse readers in the world authors have envisioned and reference books that stand out in this regard. Attendees will leave with actionable tools they can use to evaluate and revise works-in-progress before submission to editors and publishers.
Featuring: Arthur Levine, Allie Levick, Jas Perry and Phoebe Yeh; moderated by Arely Guzman

C. Illustrated Books/Nonfiction Track
Graphic Novel: Pitch and Process
We are experiencing a new golden age of graphic novels, fueled by readers’ insatiable hunger for this medium. Sales of comics and graphic novels jumped 62% in 2021! Yet for many authors and illustrators the process of creating a graphic novel is shrouded in mystery and enigma. How do you start? How do you craft a pitch for agents and editors? Join us as we draw back the curtain and dive into the nuts and bolts of the process.
Featuring: Nidhi Chanani and Victoria Ying; moderated by Nadine Takvorian

10:45am - 11:45am

A.  Publishing, Community, & Culture Track
Fantasy
I feel very strongly that I, personally, live at a very clear crossroads between history and memory and mythology,” said Daniel José Older. “And I think that we all do. I think that when we start to throw those things into a crossroads together, it really does open the lie that there is one singular truth. Let’s become more playful with what happened and how nations were born and how borders were drawn and why the sun rises. Those are all questions of mythology. And they are all questions of history. We need to be playful when we look at them because we don’t have the true-truth. That’s gone. That disappeared the moment that it happened. And yet the past is always with us and we’re constantly moving with history. History is always walking by our side.” As fantasy authors, we are reimagining fairytales, creating stories inspired by myth, sending characters out to battle demons or befriend sea creatures. The panelists in this session are often playful with tropes and clichés as they work with craft and technique. Attendees will learn how these authors go about creating the deftly woven worlds and people their readers come to love. 
Featuring: Kalynn Bayron, Natasha Bowen, Roseanne A. Brown, Lisa Stringfellow; moderated by Rosemary Brosnan

B. Craft Track Track (YA & MG)
Paragraphs
Few things are more exciting than hearing the written word read aloud. In this first-of-its-kind session, actors at the top of their craft read the opening paragraphs of some of our faculty’s most recent works.
Featuring: Actors Imani Lee Williams and Sheetal Sheth; moderated by Arely Guzman

C. Illustrated Books/Nonfiction Track
The Community That Binds
Featuring: Brandon Hobson, Nasugraq Rainey Hopson and Kim Rogers; moderated by Kenzie Allen

11:45am - 12:15pm

Lunch Break


GENERAL SESSIONS

12:30pm - 1:3opm

Novel-in-Verse Craft Talk

Featuring: Amber McBride

1:45pm - 2:45pm

Online Marketing for Busy Authors
How do you build awareness of your book and your author profile when more than 1M books are published each year—and that was before ChatGPT? Whether you are pre-published, self-published or published with a traditional publisher, you need to assume some or all of the responsibility for building buzz for your book. In this session, attendees will learn specific tips to increase their book’s visibility.
Featuring: Fauzia Burke and J.E. Thomas in conversation

3:00pm - 4:00pm

Imprints
Imprints are much more than publishing houses’ marketing strategies. Imprint directors are exceptional creators who bring deep knowledge of craft and audience to their work. In this session, panelists will share what they hope to accomplish with their imprints and what they’re looking for in submissions.
Featuring: John Jennings, Kwame Mbalia and Linda Sue Park; moderated by Phoebe Yeh

4:15pm-5:15pm

CLOSING KEYNOTE CONVERSATION
Edwidge Danticat and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

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SPONSORS

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Support the Color of Children’s Literature Conference with your tax deductible donation.